The Mandalorian And Grogu Director Teases Characters’ Future Under Star Wars’ New Leadership

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As a big fan of The Mandalorian, I was really interested to hear what Jon Favreau, the director, had to say about Din Djarin and Grogu, especially after all the changes happening at Lucasfilm. He shared some thoughts on where things are going with those two, and it was cool to get his perspective on the future of the characters.

As a huge Star Wars fan, I was really excited to hear that Dave Filoni stepped up as president of Lucasfilm in January 2026, taking over from Kathleen Kennedy as she retired. They also brought in Lynwen Brennan as co-president, which feels like a great move. And with The Mandalorian and Grogu being the first Star Wars film in seven years, things are definitely changing! I’ve heard Jon Favreau already knows which characters the studio is planning to focus on going forward, and that’s a really promising sign for the future of the franchise.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director explained that while the future of The Mandalorian (Din Djarin, played by Pedro Pascal) and Grogu is still largely undefined, Dave Filoni has a comprehensive vision for the bigger picture. He’s been carefully considering how characters like Ahsoka and Thrawn will connect and how the story will bridge the gap to the next phase of Star Wars. Favreau then added:

I believe Dave is making some important, overarching decisions, and this initiative will align with those. From my side, I’ve developed a lot of thoughts and ideas about where things could go within this smaller part of the Star Wars universe.

Similar to the main characters in The Mandalorian and Grogu, Ahsoka (played by Rosario Dawson) and Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) are important figures in the Star Wars universe on Disney+. Ahsoka gained a dedicated following through her appearances in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. She first appeared in live-action in season 2 of The Mandalorian, then returned in The Book of Boba Fett, before finally leading her own live-action Star Wars series.

Thrawn originated as a character from the Star Wars Expanded Universe, a.k.a. the Legends continuity, which comprised novels, comic books, and video games. Though nearly all those stories were officially deemed non-canon after Disney acquired Lucasfilm, the antagonist was brought into the main universe in Star Wars Rebels. Then he made the jump to live action as well in Ahsoka, where he was reprised by Rebels’ Mikkelsen.

Based on Favreau’s comments, Filoni intends to keep the lore established in these Star Wars shows on Disney+ going for the foreseeable future. What remains to be seen is whether Ahsoka, Thrawn, or any of the other heavy hitters from these streaming-exclusive series will appear in upcoming Star Wars movies like The Mandalorian and Grogu, or if they’ll stay in the television realm.

In 2023, Dave Filoni was set to direct a live-action movie taking place after the events of The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew, bringing their stories together. However, after Filoni became president of Lucasfilm, he put the movie on hold. It’s currently unknown whether this team-up movie will happen in the future, or if these characters will simply continue in their own separate series.

Currently, the next Star Wars film scheduled for release is a movie starring Ryan Gosling, set to hit theaters on May 28, 2027. As for television, the second season of Ahsoka will now debut on Disney+ in early 2027, instead of later in 2024. A second season of the animated series Maul — Shadow Lord is also being developed.

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2026-05-25 23:34